Title: Walking with the Poor, Igniting the Young: A Case Study in Entrepreneurial Leadership and Jesuit Business Education in Honduras
Author: David G. Clifford, MBA, Ed.D
Abstract
This paper explores how Ignatian-inspired entrepreneurial leadership and Jesuit business education can bring the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) to life in emerging markets. It centers on a case study of a teenage girl in rural Honduras who launched an egg farming enterprise to fund her college education. Developed through a Jesuit-inspired, mission-based initiative led by For The Greater Good, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Ignatian Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, this project embodies the UAPs by walking with the poor, accompanying young people, and promoting sustainable development.
This study seeks to answer the question: How can Jesuit business education, guided by the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and the UAPs, foster entrepreneurial leadership among marginalized youth in emerging markets while simultaneously forming faculty and students into globally conscious leaders?
Using a qualitative case study methodology, data were collected through interviews with the student entrepreneur, reflections from U.S.-based student mentors, field observations, and pedagogical artifacts such as journaling exercises and the daily Examen.
Findings suggest that when entrepreneurial education is anchored in Ignatian pedagogy—context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation—it can create transformative outcomes for both the entrepreneur and the students who accompany her. The initiative not only supported the student’s economic empowerment but also served as a formational tool for students and educators from Jesuit institutions in the United States. These cross-cultural experiences created a two-way street of transformation: one where local leadership in Honduras was ignited, and another where students deepened their understanding of purpose, discernment, and global solidarity.
This case illustrates how Jesuit business education can move beyond the classroom by integrating entrepreneurship with social mission, spiritual reflection, and real-world application. It challenges faculty and administrators to consider how formative experiences like these—grounded in praxis and relationship—can foster moral, creative, and resilient leaders. The case further suggests a replicable model for incorporating the UAPs into entrepreneurship curriculum through global immersion, mentorship, and service.
Keywords: Jesuit business education, Universal Apostolic Preferences, Ignatian pedagogy, entrepreneurial leadership, emerging markets, Honduras, student formation, global solidarity, social innovation
References
Jesuit Schools Network. (2023). Ignatian pedagogical paradigm toolkit. https://www.jesuitschoolsnetwork.org/resources/ipp-toolkit/
Kolvenbach, P.-H. (2000). The service of faith and the promotion of justice in American Jesuit higher education. Santa Clara University. https://www.scu.edu/icje/kolvenbach-address/
Lowney, C. (2003). Heroic leadership: Best practices from a 450-year-old company that changed the world. Loyola Press.
Society of Jesus. (2019). Universal Apostolic Preferences 2019–2029. https://www.jesuits.global/uap/